![]() USA Hockey’s last annual report counted just over 6,000 players in those six states combined, which is less than in North Carolina alone thanks to growth spurred by the Hurricanes playing there since 1997. Getting on the ice to skate is harder in some places.Īccording to Arena Guide, a site that tracks indoor and outdoor rinks in North America, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Louisiana, Arizona and Oklahoma have only 41 combined – many of them larger arenas not suited for youth hockey. But you can still love the game and play the game.”Īs Commissioner Gary Bettman said, “The more kids are playing hockey in any form, the better it is for the growth of the game.” His oldest grandson, Matthew, is a New Jersey high school state champion with a net in his family’s driveway, and his 5-year-old grandson is taking skating lessons. Certainly the cost of skates, sticks, ice time living in the city, it’s really tough. “It’s the easiest way to get into the game. “All I did when I was a kid was play ball hockey: literally get home from school, go outside, play with my friends,” said retired goaltender Andrew Raycroft, who joined Ference at an NHL Street event in Boston this past weekend. Still, he thinks many future pros logged more time playing street hockey in driveways and cul-de-sacs during their formative years. Stakeholders in the sport are trying many avenues to bring down those barriers, and street hockey is one of the latest attempts.įerence, who played more than 1,000 NHL games as a defenseman from 1999-2015 and won the Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins, was lucky to have outdoor ice available to him half the year while growing up in Edmonton. … There’s so many kids and families that aren’t going to have the ability to overcome some of those barriers that it takes in those cities.”īarriers range from cost and time commitments to the competitive nature of youth sports and even many families thinking they don’t belong in hockey. “It’s a great success story that we have some NHLers coming from those areas, but imagine how many kids are left out. “The influence of our teams going to the South, and you see the players getting drafted out of California, Texas and Florida, and you’re seeing that influence already,” said former player Andrew Ference, who is spearheading the NHL Street program as part of his job with the league. ![]() The NHL earlier this year launched a street hockey program aimed at knocking down barriers to the sport, with the goal of creating interest in the game, even at more casual levels. markets, with or without professional teams, where ice is hard to come by. ![]() The final between Vegas and Florida showcased the benefits of ball and roller hockey in many U.S. Pizza was available nearby.Ī similar scene played out a week later steps from the Florida Panthers’ arena before Stanley Cup Final games, with young fans playing inside an inflatable rink underneath palm trees. Music blared from speakers outside the Vegas Golden Knights’ practice facility while kids ran around with hockey sticks, batting a ball into a couple of nets. They also had been scheduled to play at Bridgestone Arena, a game that was moved to Ford Ice Center Bellevue. The water issue also resulted in a switch to a different venue for a college hockey game between Northeastern and Western Michigan. The Predators’ next home game is now scheduled for Tuesday against the Anaheim Ducks. The team was forced to close the store until further notice, pointing shoppers online for Black Friday specials. Video posted by a WTVF-TV reporter shows the water puddled up on the main floor’s concourse area and the team store. I don’t think anyone is ready for things like this the Friday after Thanksgiving.” “The good thing is, the water got shut off, the city responded in a pretty fast manner. Predators President and CEO Sean Henry told reporters that the water in the event level ranged from 3 inches to 3 feet. Team locker rooms and the ice surface are on the event level. The NHL said the water main break that occurred “significantly impacted the event level” of Bridgestone Arena. Makeup dates for the two games will be announced later. Hours after the Predators decided they couldn’t play against the Colorado Avalanche, the team announced it also postponed the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Nashville Predators postponed two home games because of a water main break that soaked their downtown arena.
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